January 2000
CCS Monthly Meeting
Join us for these great programs at the CCS monthly Meeting on Thursday, February 3, 2000 (7:00 p.m. social gathering and 7:30 p.m. program and meeting):
- Deborah Scott, one of our CCS founders, speaks on "Cherokee Feast Days".
- Mary Zaborowski, "Meli", introduces "Traditional Canoes" with her
special slide video of adventures in Manitoba, Canada. See 5000 year old Native petroglyphs and beautiful scenery along the way. Meli is the great-granddaughter of Ezekiel Buffington, who settled in Arkansas from the Trail of Tears.
- Robert Ladney, Harris County Hospital District, will enlighten us on "Services and Access to the HCHD".
CCS Meeting Location: The Tracy Gee Community Center, 3599 Westcenter, one block south of Richmond Avenue, east of the Sam Houston Tollway West Belt. Guests are always eligible for the door prize awarded that night.
Other Events & Projects
Always double check before launching your journey across town or across country, as events may change unexpectedly.
- The Women's Shawl Society, shares crafts and friendship and welcomes women of all tribes each second Saturday monthly from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Call for details: Barbra "BJ" Callihan, 713-541-4170 or e-mail trbjc@fondren.com
- The Shakey Hollow Ceremonial Ground, near Conroe, TX, site of dances the last Saturday of each month, starting with a potluck dinner, continues this year. Call with questions and for directions:
- The Native American Health Coalition meets every second Thursday, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the Northwest Community Health Center, 100 West 34 Street in Houston. "The coffee pot is always on," according to contact Deborah Scott, 713-861-6667.
- The Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation near Livingston, TX has monthly pow wows. Contact for details: Rt. 3 Box 640, Livingston, TX 77351. Phone 1-800-444-3507.
CCS Plans RNR for April 2
Our Cherokees in the Houston area continue to innovate as plans develop for the exciting "Red Nations Remembering", annual commemoration of the Trail of Tears, scheduled for Sunday, April 2, 2000, from 10:30 a.m. to sundown, at the Montgomery County Park in Conroe, Texas. It will be solidly under cover but with plenty of fresh air! Admission is free at
the family friendly, alcohol free event. This opportunity for the entire community to commemorate the Trail of Tears and introduce newcomers to Cherokee and Native culture begins with the Traditional Moccasin Walk through the beautiful wooded area. Activities continue with Cherokee storytellers, games to amuse all ages, fine arts and crafts, Native
music, raffles and craft demonstrations, delicious food and much more. Highlights include guest appearances by Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Principal Chief Chad Smith and Deputy Chief Hastings Shade.
We invite interested readers to contact us to offer support. Regular monthly planning meetings are scheduled at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 20 and March 19. Contact Judith Bruni for details and to offer your assistance, 281-556-1908/ or jbruni2@attglobal.net. If those interested cannot attend, call Judith to work remotely on this project. We coordinate from many vantage points! Vendors wishing to participate can contact Cindy Linnenkohl, (days) 281-458-0662, ext. 119, or e-mail clinnenkohl@precisio.com, to secure booths which are available for $20.00 plus a donated item.
Language Corner:
our monthly sample of Cherokee vocabulary
Excerpts are from the Raven's Tsalagi Site. Click on her "Small Lexicon of Words in Cherokee"
(English alphabet only shown here)
beads ... a-de-la-di-ya-tso-di
string of beads ... a-de-la-di-ya-tlo di
bed ... bedroom ...a-`sv-sti-ka-nv-`su-lv
bridge ... a-sv-`tlv-i
car ... `a-`tso-du-`di
city ... ga-du-`hv-i
country ... s-ga-`du-gi
dirt ... ga-da
door ... a-s-`du-di
doorway ... ga-lo-`hi `sti
dresser ... di-se-`hi-sti
earth ... e-lo-hi-no
field ... tso-ge-si
fire ... a-tsi-la
floor ... ya-te-no-ha
flower ... hu-tsi-lv-ha
forest ... a-do-hi
fork ... yv-`gi
garden ... a-wi-sv-di-yi
grass ... ga-`nu-lv
grease ... go-i
hay ... ka-ne-s-ga
highway, big road ... u-`ta-`na-nv-`no-hi
home ... o-we-`nv-`sv
hothouse ... o-si
house ... gal-`tso-de
my house ... a-que-nv-sv
iron pot ... tsu-la-s-gi
journey ... vi-s-vi
kitchen ... a-da-`sta-ti
knife ... ha-yel-`sdi
lake, pond, bay ... v-da-li
lamp ... a-`tsv-s-ta
lawn ... `o-ni
napkin ... e-s-gi-nv-si
peace ... nv-wa-do-hi-ya-da
phone ... di-li-no-`he-`di
plate ... `a-se-li-do
road ... nv-`no-`Hi
smoke signal ... tsu-na-lu-gi
spirit ... a-da-nv-do
spoon ... a-di-`to-di
star ... no-ki-si
storehouses ... u-na-wa-da-li
street ... ga-la-`nv-da
success ... a-s-gwa-di-s-di
sun ... nv-do-i-ga-e-hi
table or chair ... ga-`sgi-lo
trees ... de-tlu-`gv
window ... tso-`la-`na
world ... e-`lo-`hi
yard ... `o-`ni
The Cherokee Heritage Center
The Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, OK features these upcoming
events:
- March, 2000 - Cherokee Legends: A Children's Exhibit, contains a new permanent educational collection.
- April 8, 2000, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Beading Class. Basic instruction will be taught by Jim White at a cost of $35.00 with supplies provided.
- April 27-28, 2000, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Spring Indian Territory Days. Look forward to fun-filled days of education in Cherokee culture with hands-on activities, storytelling, demonstrations of soap making, etc.
To come: Year 2000 opening of the exhibit "Portraits of the Cherokee Nation Chiefs". If anyone is descended from a chief or knows a family member of a chief dating from John Ross (1828) to the present, please send names and addresses for a personal invitation to: Ellen Johnson, Cherokee Heritage Center, P.O. Box 515, Tahlequah, OK 74465-0515. Phone: 918-456-6007, fax: 918-456-6165, or visit the Heritage Center online.
Web Gems
Resources mentioned in this newsletter are intended only for informational purposes and not as endorsements of products or services. They are included as interesting and potentially useful items for our readers.
- New Eden Herbals and Gardens from the Ozarks contains a true "garden variety" of really interesting plants. Scroll down the page through an herbal glossary for descriptions and usage of
each plant.
- Helping Org is great for those seeking volunteer opportunities by region and interest. Before donating to any charitable source, you can check it out here with the Better Business Bureau or call BBB locally (highly recommended prior to any donations.) Another interesting feature: Where to donate all those leftover Y2K hoards that were never needed. Thanks to CCS member Millie Barnes for sharing information about this website.
- E-How, recently mentioned in the
Houston Chronicle, is a commercial site but offers much helpful information on topics from pet care to amusing young children, from ridding your life of spam and junk mail to fixing a home appliance. A similar approach is taken by Dollar Stretcher, a weekly column on family
finance.
Educational Resource
CCS Board member Marjorie Lowe relates that there are annually awarded scholarships available through the National Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) that could apply to Native Indian students. Marjorie is Chair of the American Indian Committee of a local DAR Chapter and has applications for the one-time $500 scholarships, which are based on
need. Applicants must provide their tribal roll number and blood quantum, but the amount is not requested. Those interested are urged to move quickly before funds are exhausted. July 1 is the deadline for the fall. Contact Marjorie: (h) 713-937-4826 or e-mail hunter@hal-pc.org
Meet an Outstanding Cherokee:
Gregg Howard of Cherokee/Powhattan knew nothing of his Native heritage until his family moved to Oklahoma from Kentucky in the 1960's when his mother revealed their background. Through the years, he has become involved in preserving the culture and now teaches the Cherokee Language and Cherokee history at Texas A&M University - Commerce, TX. He also excels as an accomplished storyteller. Honors include "Storyteller of the Year" from Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers & Storytellers, "Ambassador of Goodwill" by the Cherokee Nation, and serving as spokesman for the Cherokee Honor Society. His "Tales of Wonder" video of Cherokee traditional stories received the "Award of Distinction" in the 1998 Communicator's Award International competition. Among the many
sources on the web that feature Native culture, his site has a fascinating collection of books and videos on Native languages, genealogy and storytelling. Various Indian Peoples Publishing Company, Inc. has a new site at www.nativelanguages.com or readers can contact
VIP Publishing Co., P.O. Box 833216, Richardson, TX 75083. Phone 1-800-776-0842, e-mail vipublish@aol.com.
Kudos Korner
- Special appreciation goes to Rev. Chris Steele for her donation to CCS in the amount of $100, in addition to dues renewal.
- The Museum of Natural Science in Houston has forwarded an honorarium of $500 to our CCS treasury, reflecting efforts at the November, 1999 Heritage Day.
Support CCS
The Cherokee Messenger is a monthly publication of the Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston, Texas (USA). Volume IX, number 2. Our website is generously managed by Tom Strapp of Powersource. Contact for newsletter inquiries: Vicki Henrichs, Editor, e-mail vhenrich@swbell.net. Houston area CCS phone inquiries: 713-866-4085. Support of CCS is always appreciated!
The purpose of the Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston is to build community, to preserve Cherokee heritage, to perpetuate the Cherokee culture, and to build the future of our people. Annual membership dues are $20.00 per person and include a hardcopy newsletter subscription.
Thank you for your support of CCS! The Cherokee Messenger welcomes news articles, family histories, poetry, and other items of interest concerning Cherokee culture. Inclusion is based on space available and is subject to editing.
Mail to:
The Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston
P.O. Box 23187
Houston, TX 77228-3187
or e-mail vhenrich@swbell.net by the 5th of the month prior to publication the first of the following month.
Copyright © The Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston